Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump called the shooting at a Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic "terrible" and "more of the same" — while adding that "I see a lot of dislike for Planned Parenthood" at rallies.
Trump said on NBC’s "Meet the Press" Sunday morning, where he commented on Planned Parenthood’s statement that "an alarming increase in hateful rhetoric ... breeds acts of violence."
Asked whether he believed some of the type of anti-Planned Parenthood statements heard on the right could have lead to the shooting, Trump asserted, "No, I think he (the suspect, Robert Dear) is a sick person," and added he believes the gunman is a "maniac" and "extremist."
When asked about reporting the shooter allegedly talked about "baby parts." Trump responded, "I will tell you there is a tremendous group of people that think it’s terrible, all of the videos that they’ve seen with some of these people from Planned Parenthood talking about it like you’re selling parts to a car ... there are a lot of people that are very unhappy about that."
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Trump described the “tremendous dislike” he sees for Planned Parenthood on the campaign trail. “I can say that, because I go to rallies…I see a lot of anxiety and I see a lot of dislike for Planned Parenthood. There’s no question about that.”
Later in the show, leading Republican candidate, Dr. Ben Carson, was also asked about Planned Parenthood’s statement on "hateful rhetoric."
He replied, "I think hateful rhetoric and terrorist-type activities are horrible, no matter from where they emanate. And we should all condemn them, at all times."
Carson continued, "We have to stop allowing ourselves to be pushed into different corners and then throwing hateful barbs at each other ... We must somehow manage to regain the high ground and understand that we’re not each other’s enemies, even though we may have some differences of opinions about things. Let’s stop trying to destroy each other."
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Several other 2016 Republican candidates have expressed prayers for the families of those killed in the shooting.
In a statement Former Gov. Jeb Bush said, "...There is no acceptable explanation for this violence, and I will continue to pray for those who have been impacted.
Other responses came via Twitter from Sen. Ted Cruz, Gov. John Kasich, and Former. Gov. Mike Huckabee.